FRANCE 24 English published this video item, entitled “Photos of arms seizure circulate on Facebook with France implicated • FRANCE 24 English” – below is their description.
Several photos showing an arms seizure in Burkina Faso are circulating on Facebook. France is directly accused of sending weapons via Burkina Faso to terrorists in eastern Mali. This is not the first time these photos have circulated online. France 24 Observers debunked some of them back in 2019 – we take a closer look at why they have now resurfaced.
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FRANCE 24 English YouTube Channel
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In This Story: Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa that covers an area of around 274,200 square kilometres (105,900 sq mi) and is bordered by Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Ivory Coast.
The July 2019 population estimate by the United Nations was 20,321,378. Previously called Republic of Upper Volta (1958–1984), it was renamed “Burkina Faso” on 4 August 1984 by President Thomas Sankara. Its citizens are known as Burkinabé, and its capital is Ouagadougou.
Due to French colonialism, the country’s official language of government and business is French, but this language is spoken by approximately only 10-15% of the population. There are 59 native languages spoken in Burkina, with the most common language, Moore, spoken by roughly 50% of Burkinabé.
The Republic of Upper Volta was established on 11 December 1958 as a self-governing colony within the French Community and on 5 August 1960 it gained full independence.